What Do Emergency Services Look Like in a Pandemic? 
Last Updated: 18 May 2020

Here’s what Endeavors emergency services are doing in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. 

When most people think about “emergency services,” large-scale natural disasters come to mind— mostly hurricanes, forest fires, and earthquakes. However, as we have seen over the last few months, emergencies that require a response aren’t limited to large-scale weather phenomena. 

It turns out, a microscopic virus can have just as much (if not more) impact on our daily lives. So, in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, what do emergency services look like? 

What are Endeavors’ emergency services?

Endeavors’ emergency services are divided into two categories: Emergency Rapid Deployment and Disaster Case Management. 

Emergency Rapid Deployment means we have teams of various professionals throughout the United States who are ready to deploy within 72 hours in the event of a natural disaster or crisis. In the past, it has meant anything from emergency unaccompanied minor care to Hurricane Harvey incident support. Today, it means helping to staff COVID-19 emergency shelters. 

Our Disaster Case Management services, on the other hand, provide disaster relief for clients located in federally declared disaster areas across the United States. In this bracket of emergency services, we work one-on-one with clients to assist them in recovery from natural disasters. Usually, this is done by connecting clients with local community partners. 

Related Article: 10 Inspiring Stories That Prove Disaster Case Management Matters

Emergency pandemic shelters in Texas 

One big area of need during COVID-19? Providing care and shelter for people experiencing homelessness. 

While many of us have been stuck in our houses during shelter-in-place orders, there are so many people who don’t have the luxury of staying at home. Imagine having nowhere to go but an overcrowded shelter where social distancing measures are impossible! The need has led many cities to expand their homelessness care programs. 

Thankfully, we’ve been lucky enough to partner with incredible organizations to help provide temporary staffed shelters for the spike in housing need during this time. 

In El Paso, we’ve been able to assist in creating and staffing two temporary shelters for homeless populations who have nowhere to go. (We’re also so lucky to have partnered with the Rescue Mission, Salvation Army, El Paso Coalition for the Homeless, El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, the Paso Del Norte Community Foundation, and United Way!) 

In Plano, we have deployed additional staff to help serve at the Salvation Army Shelter.

In San Antonio, we’ve helped to provide the staffing for a children’s shelter, which has seen a higher volume than usual due to an uptick in domestic violence during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. 

We are proud to be a part of the team fighting against homelessness and poverty in the face of COVID-19. We are driven by our mission to serve those in need and continue with #PeopleHelpingPeople at all times. If you know someone who needs a safe place right now because of COVID-19 or if you know of an organization that could benefit from our rapid deployment services, contact us here! We’d love to see how we can help. 

Support Vulnerable Populations During COVID-19

Please support our mission as we host a Big Give Relief fund to support families who have been impacted by COVID-19. You can go to our giving page to learn how you can provide the most essential supplies to our housing program residents and Veterans during this time. 

About Endeavors

Endeavors is a longstanding national non-profit that provides an array of programs and services in support of children, families, Veterans, and those struggling with mental illness and other disabilities. Endeavors serves vulnerable people in crisis through innovative personalized services. For more information, please visit www.endeavors.org.